The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1887-03-13
MRS. PoTTER's PLAY.


that she desires ITO elevate" tho dramatic pro-
fcssion, and that she would like TO appear in
Dumas's now play. Actors and actresses every
where laugh at the fair lady's spatronizing words,
whenever they are not irritntcd by them. The
amount of elevation the stage is likely to re-
ceivc from her efforts may be surfuiscd from her
choice OF II role which has sort Of 'ostlcr-jo'ish
savor. Parsina, the Paris correspondent of the
drgondut gives the following account OF the
drama In which Mrs. Potter is ambitious to shinc
who says that the French arc merely light
and frivolous nation has certainly never made
the dramatists. No one can say thnt Zola is light
reading, whatever else you III ~ say about him.
and Dumas, for all his wit, is sometimes very
"Francillcn"-hls last. and ono OF his best plays.
IL Is written with a purpose, of course, but the
interests Of The story Tie plot I is not % merely de-
viscd for the sake of showing up some social
plaguc;spot, and the characters nrc something
more than machines fol spoutinu the fnvoritc
doctrines OF the author.
Dumas is the great cultiyator Of this species OF
literature, and the appearance oil one OF MS plays
always sets society discussing some knotty point
of social morals, some question more or less tick
lsh, and therefore welcome to our would-bc
philosophers, male aud female. Once II WINS the
famous tuc.d-had nn outraged husband the
Il ,ht to killf At another time, the Idocs dc
Mn'c, 4ubrcu, ancnt hemnrringc OF her son with
the girl he had scduccl, were cnnynsscd right ana
left. While later, In the case of Denise, was mr.
yucd for and against, could n fallen woman he
rpnuUllltuVpu UN uuTEtuUCg
Elsewhere, when such questions arise. tlicy are
generally suggested by some scandal in, the law
courts, some criminal trial or other. Here, IL is
clusions which may or may not be those of the
world Mt large; He dresses ip his Ideas IN
drama more or less amusing, more or less stilied,
more or less human and nntural, II is played by
the best actors In Paris, aud all the world crowd
to it making 1t the one great topic Of the day
"Francillon" Is the subject of conversation
around the dnner.table over the afternoon cups
of tea, in drawing-rooms md boudoirs, between
men md women, between friends and chance ae-
qiiaintances. Was or was not tho poor little
woman right to demand All eye for mn eye, or II
tooth for tooth! The men-if their wives ar,. ar.
they arc generally Of one mind in the matter.
~ But forget, the reader has not been to
discussing this all-absorbinR topic.
You must know that the Comic dc Rivcrollcs
ns n SS Hna ms Ss Me ssoR y ne soyc
twenty months or SO before the scene opens they
took each other for better or worse, and a child
erolles -familiarly "Francilon"-.h put her
ns aaysm IN her pocket and periors,d
superseded somewhat the husband In her attcn.
tons, which causcs some people TO declare that
pumas's sub.thess 70, women, 4 you want to
your children" This INTRODUCTION of nursery
topics Is certainly not. In the best taste. True,
the matter is discussed on the stage, In an after
dinner chat between the heroine and her Rreat
rrcnd-thc l,nronnc Smtlbut thus the stalls
have to be taken into their confidence. When
the curtain rises the ladies ars togetn%sr % IN %inrEc
whole comedy is played out, the unitics In this
case being respected so far as place is concerned,
though whole night passes IN the interval be-
tween the first and second acts.
Franclllon Is In bud spirits, anxious, nervous;
her husband has got Into the habit Of going out out
even suspects that the club is the cloak with
which he covers worse sins; A certain Mile.
1t mildly-a considerable amount of fascination
over hcr husband before his marriage, has, she
fears, .reasscrtcd her INFLUENCES, and We're this
proved to be the case-she tells her frlend-thc
Count should soon know what kind of woman he
had married. Baroness Smith reasons with her
as S apt to ao TO me- s m @
equally binding for tho man as for the woman,
each hns sworn to be faithful. She admits no in
When the Baroness and the men, who were In
the smoking.room, have departed, the Comte Or.
ders his brougham, to go tu his club and the
opera ball. where, lie says, he hns promised to
ncct some friends mud sup with them aftcrward.
all up and stay at home with herr or, If he must
go to the ball TO take her with him. OF course
he does no such thing, and makes number of
rendezvous with Rosalle Michon-and so is his
wife, No sooner has he left the house than she
orders her mad to bring her q mantle. and the
footnlan to call her n cnb.
In the next act we learn the history of that
night; Elano,,,or h., ,o,,ovoo h.r n,,s,or, IN ,ho
club In the first place. and afterwarl to the
opera, calling at costumer's on the way to buy
in the first tier she had gone round to the oppo-
site side Of the house to another box occupied by
man of hts set whom she recognized, but who,
Of course, did not recognize her. He had capi-
tai opern-glass, and with thisshe could see every
thing TINT went on opposite; how tho Count
Adarowiteh, r plsyfuliy lot down the lovely
Rosae's hair tshe was celebrated for the length
Of her tresscs, and then twisted 1t up again. TAX:
fES<x tSNt1 s.t,I Ian hnst
s s ana the l TRen ppns G
away from the demonstratlye owner of the box,
The dIsguised wife had made he her way through 5 n
mistress arrived there. Hovering round them.
at one moment half INCLINED TO declare herself,
order given to tho coach,nnnS Skosnlies coach
man-to drive to the Maison dor. 4 handsome
young fellow , was STAN standing near; through the the
her eyes upon him; he "imagines her pretty md
young and offers his arm, which she took. ITO
the restaurant together. At the restaurant her
burly waiter Eugene, and ask him the names, Of
night Hearing that the Cointe dc Riveroiics
was closcted in No. 9, and that No. l. next door,
ing Eugene to send them tho same winds and
wines rs the Count hal ordered. A. thin parti-
ton separated the two parties, and the sound oi
preferred your laugh to the silence that fol-
lowed" declares Francillon 1t Is to her hns.
Dulll tIluV hUt tells tUt WNOt STORY. tHt
Count Is incredulous-whow would not bcf Then,
when he begins to understand-Fnncllon IL
careful With her details-he tries to get rid Of a
spectator OF this coniugal scene, but the Com
tesse won't lot him go at first, though she takes
cage addressed to her mother to the telegraph
Office This is beforcs She gets 50 far as the Maison
| dor In her story.
such dialogue III the mouths of his chnractcrs
When Frnncillon tells how she got into N; de
hnks mbm box ssr ". pHnrs HS
not; lie had not the least Idea who was, II may
Judge BY his compensation" To which he re- re-
@ @Franslionn ms iaPRfh pna Tie pi fhe II % Of tfi'
mani peremptorily demandsM; dc Riverolles, tt
which the wife answers, ~ have no idea, nc
more than he OF mine. / had revenge to take
and needed IN so sei1ea %o the first
phal of laudanum; but no one is dead, there Is
one more faithful one n the w9rid md m
fanny. = 1t seems to mo as II hnd pissed
my lost dignity" 'swcar to me that what yo!
Count Seq fn.t It sf sTcSr ys,
his hand as 4 to strike her
De Hverollcs IL not one Of those who consider
gIil Jnut idrer linOe sale en Jdmille, perhaps
because he is, even then, half incredulous. HI
sends for his father, tho Marquis, for the 3arOnnt
| Smith, for his friends Symellx and Grnndreden
| The Marquis declares that FruncillOn IL playing
part, aud then proceeds to givc his son II bit OF
his mind. "Since have seen you here you have
done nothing but talk of my daughter-n- law
| revenge, which we all question, and not n wOrt
OF your own faults, which no one doubts. Yet
| We cannot pass IT over In silence. II you hnt
done as you ought to do, we should mol be con
yoked 10 discuss the to-be-or-not-to-bc of YOU
honor" The Marquis plays chorts-hc is thu
Symei,x and Graidredon have been sent hithc
and thither to test the truth of FrancillOns MS
sertions, and she, moreover, Inns furnished then
| with documentary cvidence-the restaurant bill
the receipt OF the costumer. One thing she In
xists on keeping silence upon, she will not di
l yugc the name OF her accOmplicc- AnOnyini
has supped with Incognito.
In tho meantime, the Count having sent for hi
| lawyer, u clerk IN announced, and Francilloi
utters an exclamation Of horror and surprise ol
seeing him. Surely Incognito was some othe
than Pinquet tho handsome young clerk! He 4
questioned In ambiguous phrases, but they cal
make nothing OF him.. 10 cut a long story short
II is the IiarOnne Smith who at last, and by yer!
simple stratngen. entraps the unhappy wife int
cOnfessing that II II were true she followed he
husband To the opera, true that she supped at tn
MaisOn dor, she has not further degi1ided her
self At FIRST and In spite OF all her friend has 4
say, she continues to persist In her assertions
then the baroness changes her tactics.
well, suppose there il nothing more To b
said, for, unfortunately, the young man has con